Epic Players To Present World Premiere Of BUM BUM (OR, THIS FARCE HAS AUTISM)
The comedy by award-winning autistic playwright Dave Osmundsen, will premiere at HERE Arts Center in Manhattan.
This December, EPIC Players, New York’s leading neuroinclusive theater company, will present the world premiere of BUM BUM (or, this farce has Autism), a sharp-witted, genre-bending comedy by award-winning autistic playwright Dave Osmundsen, at HERE Arts Center in Manhattan.
Blending farce, satire, and social critique, BUM BUM offers a radical and hilarious takedown of how media and society package neurodivergence for mass consumption. Featuring EPIC’s Neurodivergent and Autistic ensemble, the production continues the company’s mission to challenge stereotypes, expand representation, and place Disabled artists at the center of the storytelling process.
“At EPIC, we're passionate about telling stories that center Autistic and Neurodivergent voices — not as symbols or side characters, but as complex, funny, and deeply human,” said Aubrie Therrien, Executive Artistic Director of EPIC Players. “BUM BUM flips the script on how Autism is represented in theater: it's bold, subversive, and unapologetically authentic.”
“As an Autistic playwright, I’m thrilled that EPIC Players, a company whose advocacy for the Neurodiverse community is unparalleled, is the first to present BUM BUM to the world,” added Dave Osmundsen. “The show explores the right to authentic autistic expression, how Disabled artists are packaged to mainstream audiences, and the challenges of self-advocacy — and there are jokes, too! Let’s laugh ableism down several pegs this holiday season!”
Set during a chaotic live telethon benefiting “Singing and Hearing Autistic Greatness” (SAHAG or SHAG), the play follows three Autistic performers pressured to deliver sanitized, “palatable” routines for a mainstream audience. As tensions rise, they band together to hijack the broadcast and perform their unapologetically authentic material—turning the evening into a riotous act of resistance.
The cast includes Cameron Walker (Jeff), Max Tunney (Sean), Jordan Patricia Boyatt (Lisa), Nancy Redman (Susan), Meconan Ashe (Jason/Gil), Carly Hayes (Caty), and Amy Hope Miller aka Gravity (Rhina).
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